General Competition (April 1992)

NCMS Rapid Response Manufacturing

Sponsor: National Center For Manufacturing Sciences, Inc.

• Project duration: 9/28/1992 - 9/27/1997
• Total project (est.): $45,808,773.00
• Requested ATP funds: $19,750,122.00

Although U.S. software and computer companies lead the world in developing advanced, highly integrated systems for manufacturing, U.S. manufacturers as a whole trail their major foreign competitors in adopting these technologies. NCMS has brought together a consortium of major industrial firms -- Ford, General Motors, Texas Instruments, and United Technologies -- and several small suppliers of advanced manufacturing technology -- Aries Technology, Cimflex Teknowledge Corp., Cimplex Corp., ICAD, Parametric Technology Corp., and Spatial Technology -- in a major experiment in computer-integrated manufacturing. Key technologies including a manufacturing model that integrates product and process data in a consistent manner, an advanced computer-aided engineering environment, "knowledged-based" software aids for design and process planning, and new production technologies to make products directly from design software will be addressed. Several existing production lines in use by consortium members will be used as test beds to allow the consortium to measure the progress of the program against real-life benchmarks. The Department of Energy Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility, operated by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, will also participate in the program.

For project information:

Mr. Gene Allen, (703) 759-7560
70214.2571@compuserve.com

Active Project Participants

• Teknowledge Corporation (Palo Alto, CA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Technology Answers, Inc. (formerly Cimplex Corporation) (San Jose, CA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Ford Motor Company, Manufacturing Development Center (Detroit, MI)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• General Motors Corporation, Technical Center (Warren, MI)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Knowledge Technologies International (formerly Concentra: ICAD, Inc.) (Lexington, MA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• MSC.Software Corporation (formerly MacNeal Schwendler Corporation) (Great Falls, VA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Spatial Technology Inc. (Boulder, CO)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Raytheon (formerly Texas Instruments, Inc.) (Tucson, AZ)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• United Technologies Corporation, Hamilton Standard Division, Research Div. (East Hartford, CT)
  [Original, Active Member]
  

ATP Project Manager

Jack Boudreaux, (301) 975-3560
jack.boudreaux@nist.gov